Friday, May 31, 2013

This Week In Headlines- May 31st

Part of my hopes with this blog is to introduce regular weekly features. Friday is an opportune time to take a look back at the week and talk about some of the big stories going on. Have an idea for a feature you'd like to see? Sound off in the comments below!

Without further ado...

It seems like everyone's FAVORITE American Idol judge, Nicki Minaj, will not be returning to the program next season. On Twitter, she announced it was time to "focus on the music" (she must be using that term loosely, of course). Her wealth of talent, wisdom, and articulately phrased critiques ("YES MA'AM. BABY GIRL, YOU HAVE ARRIIIIIVED.") will be sorely missed.

Sequel The Hangover: Part III had an extremely disappointing opening frame this week, taking in only $69,448,603 in 6 days. In comparison, its predecessor, widely disliked, still managed to grab $148,915,509 in the same span. The disparate nature of the revenue pacing doesn't seem to bode well for III. This is what happens when studios rush to cash in while a property is still "hot." I don't really know of anyone who was walking around last summer saying, "MAN, you know what I really could use right now??? ANOTHER Hangover movie!" There was no buzz, no demand. Just ill will for a cookie cutter sequel that was identical to the first movie in all the wrong ways. With this failure, the whole franchise seems to even go back and tarnish the first movie, joining such blunders as The Matrix films, the Star Wars prequels, and the old Spider-Man movies. In fact, director Todd Philips, in his infinite wisdom, has come out and said he was angered by the backlash Part II received. So much so, he almost INTENTIONALLY used the same "wake up" formula again for Part III, just as a middle finger of sorts to fans and critics who complained so much. Now if that doesn't sound like the kind of guy you want running a franchise, I don't know what does!

Star Trek Into Darkness, while not being as publicly derided as The Hangover, continues to curiously underperform as well. While $162 million is nothing to sneer at, it is following the pace of the 2009 entry almost identically. Traditionally, the first sequel is expected to outperform its predecessor based sheerly on the fan base that's supposed to have been created (amongst many other reasons). But it seems folks are a bit frustrated with JJ and co. coming out and lying DIRECTLY to the press about the identity of the villain. Were Trek fans honestly expected to believe there was some major villain in the show's collective history they just somehow forgot??? The Gary Mitchell speculation kept things interesting for awhile, but eventually it became pretty obvious who the villain was. I STILL say Mitchell would've been an amazing choice. People already SAW Wrath of Khan. And loved it. Why mess with that??? Perhaps they were trying to pull a Chris Nolan with The Dark Knight, who went and re-introduced a classic 80's cinematic villain widely regarded as perfect, but totally went and blew the lid off those opinions? Either way, JJ has said he's not a Trek fan, and now I think it's become obvious. Perhaps it's best he not helm the third entry, focus on possibly ruining Star Wars for a second time in a generation, and leaves the work to someone a little more dedicated to the source material. Either way, this is a franchise that will need to tread VERY softly on the next go-round, with almost an apology film in order. You know who they should get? Todd Philips!! I hear he's PERFECT in that sort of situation.

Fans of television racked up a major win this week, with critical darling and ratings disappointment Arrested Development coming back from the grave via the online service Netflix. And WHAT a resurrection it's been. The shows are woven together like a tapestry, with the content building with each character. An event that takes place in the background of one episode will be front and center in the next, bringing the jokes full circle. I've never seen a structure like this before, and it figures the geniuses over with Mitch Hurwitz would be the ones to do it. Comedic timing has never been better, and the cast chemistry has lost NOTHING in the past 7 years since we last saw the Bluth family. I was nervous that, with it coming back, it might be missing that certain spark. I've never been more happy to be proven wrong. WELCOME BACK, Bluths!!!

Any major events you feel should be added? Please feel free to comment! Happy Friday to you all, and thanks for reading! This has been a great first week for my little blog, and I hope to only grow, improve, and reach more people as time goes on! Thank you for your help in making that happen.

About Me

I was born a Virginian, but became a North Carolinian in May 2011. It's been an eventful few years here, but I love it! Family history puts my clan in NC going back to the late 1600's, so I've always thought of it more as going home :-) Anything you want to know, just ask!